Drug War Hits Roatan...

[cruiser]

I did the original post and I disagree. Any area info, whether its a malaria outbreak or gentle coaxing to stay away from a specific area, has its place on this INFORMATION board. I'll debate that til the moon turns blue. I was very specific in the posting and follow-up that the only area affected is east Roatan in Diamond Rock. The reason I posted it is because a couple were heading out that way to stay at a resort and could not get through the roadblock. They phoned my husband to see if they could stay with us for the night. This was last Tuesday. Its good for people to know what's going on, whether it directly affects them or NOT.

I agree Castaway, I found your post very useful and appropriate here on the board. An aware traveler is a safer traveler.

The drug activity won't deter me from future visits to Roatan because they value tourism and tourist spots are undoubtedly one of the most protected areas on the island.

 

[Doc]

That's where I'm headed here. It's the internet that I'm bemoaning.

How did I get in this?

I did agree with your post, though!

.... I was very specific in the posting and follow-up that the only area affected is east Roatan in Diamond Rock....

In the follow up, yes, you were kind-of almost specific. My geography pointers may have helped those who digested it.

Useful information and verified truth is absolutely necessary to share with all. Posting what is copied from another internet chat board post and then only dumping an inflammatory, unexplained "headline" is not.

The point: A 30 mile long island with several difficult natural barriers between 99% of visitors and 30 miles away where this may or may not have occured, eleven days ago.

Even Castaways Cove, a beautiful spot on the South shore, mid island, is a long hump from this described place. Your hosting one of the exceedingly rare guests who might venture even further East was smart and laudable, but it looks like now you might want to tend to some other more pressing concerns....

Look into the year's past posts about Roatan.Some well meaning (?) posters kept hammering at "big things" that never amounted to very much. Remember the "devastating" Earthquake? Most people thought they needed a drink. The BIG COUP? In Roatan, it was a spectator sport. Roadblock protests over electrical power? A bunch of drunks who had other motivations that no tourists ever saw, and the lights stayed on, well- as much as they ever do. Swine Flu? Pigs fly! Murdered house shoppers who (much later) turned out to be the third man-out in a lover's triangle? We love to worry.

It goes on and on, just as the internet would allow.

 

[skyward]

Hey castaways01,

When I tried to access your website I get a warning from Google that your site is suspicious and downloads and installs malicious software.

Here is the results page:

Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for castaways-cove.com

What's up with this?

 

[DandyDon]

Hey castaways01,

When I tried to access your website I get a warning from Google that your site is suspicious and downloads and installs malicious software.

Here is the results page:

Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for castaways-cove.com

What's up with this?

That is kinda intimidating....

​

Then I got this on the Seattle Times comics page, which has had problems earlier...

​

I have to System Restore in Safe Mode in Command Prompt every week anyway tho...

 

[teoteoteoteo]

ncchuck, i dove at paya bay with justin just before hurricane wilma in Oct 2005. did he still work there in 2006 when you were there?

 

[leadweight]

Sorry guys, but my opinion is Roatan is a lawless place. Its based on unfortunate experience. If you stay at an AI, you will likely be OK. Start venturing out or staying in West End and bad things can happen. The root cause is the authorities do not prosecute many crimes, including assaults and threats. The locals and the expats living there know this as well as some of the tourists. Tick someone off, and they will be all over you. Its about the bigger, stronger and those with lots of similar friends getting their way. Remember, if your dive guide or bartender is not Honduran, they are probably there illegally. That is often the source of a difficult attitude.

Its no wonder to me that these kinds of posts keep showing up in the Bay Islands forum, and almost never anywhere else.

 

[RTBDiver]

Leadweight,
Your post and opinion is interesting yet it does show quite the lack of your knowledge about Roatan. I have probably spent more time on the island than many and I really have not changed the way I live life every day on the island. Crime can happen anywhere and yes, there is at times problems with prosecution, of course most places do not let the criminals go and perform flawlessly. Hmmm, Anyone thinking about OJ?
You also make it seem as if there is lawlessness running rampant and suggest that an AI Resort should be ok? My first visit to the Bay Islands was in 1998, I have owned my home a a good bit of land there since 2002-03 and have never stayed at an AI or any resort for that matter and lo and behold i have not had to deal with the criminal courts for anything ( Knock on Wood). When not on the island i am most often in Jax Florida, the murder capitol of Florida , yet most would think that title goes to Miami. Jacksonvillle is the largest city in the US Landmass wise and I can drive an hour and still be in Jax. Sure there are bad areas and places that bad things happen but all it takes for the most part is common sense.
This recent issue targeted drug folks. If you do drugs or deal then you deserve trouble. Most violent crimes involving Non Hondurans have a story that comes out in the end, Either a land battle, Lovers quarrel, Drug issue or the like. Most visitors do not find themselves in any of those positions.
There certainly is crime and if you go out drinking flashing cash like the rich gringo with polished fingernails and fancy jewelry you do draw attention. If you leave fancy scuba gear layed out to dry while you go to the bar then there may be a problem but these oportunistic things are more typical of the type of crime a tourist may encounter

 

[Belmont]

I have to System Restore in Safe Mode in Command Prompt every week anyway tho...

You probably have an ID TEN T problem with your computer.

 

[DandyDon]

You probably have an ID TEN T problem with your computer.

Possibly, but how many do you know who can do a System Restore in Safe Mode in Command Prompt from memory?

I go places that Google Chrome warns me not to at times. One site I hang out on some is notorious for West African scammers and the like, and I take sport exposing them - but their profile pages can contain trojan attacks, loading XP Security Tool 2010, XP Defender Pro, Vista Security Tool 2010, and Vista Defender Pro - all new rogues that are exactly the same program. They are just shown with different names and interfaces depending on the version of Windows that it is run on.

Avast usually blocks them, but not always. Looks like castaways-cove.com is still infected. Glad that the Seattle news comics got cleaned up.
[c]

[/c]

 

[leadweight]

My lack of knowledge about Roatan is based on six 2 week trips where I stayed in West End, three one week stays at Fantasy Island, one week each at Coco View and Anthony's Key and a total of five weeks on Utila from three separate trips, two at AI's and a three weeks in town. I spent a lot of time with people who live there and heard a lot of incredible stories.

Anyone could go to Coco View for a week repeatedly, dive their brains out, have a great vacation, and not know a thing about that island.

Last April there was someone leaving out poisoned meat for the purposes of killing dogs. Someone's pet Rottweiler died from that. A lady who works as a house sitter told me about an attempted rape against her. West End is full of people who are running away from something. People who have been there a long time that are not business owners are considered to be ruined. A year and a half ago there were roadblocks around the airport. Less than a year ago there were curfews and air travel shutdowns. There was a shoot out at the gate to Anthony's Key not that long ago were at least one person was killed. I wonder what the bad guys were going to do if they got inside. I could go on forever about all the nonsense.

Just look through this forum at all of the crazy stuff that happens there. Every few months there is a new problem on Roatan. There is nothing else like it in any other major dive area that I know of. If there is another place that is as crazy as Roatan, I want to know about it, because I need some excitement.